


Her and Them

by addiction1510



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, discussion of polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-08 22:59:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4324077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addiction1510/pseuds/addiction1510
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Pearl likes us, you know."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Her and Them

"Pearl likes us, you know." Sapphire's voice suddenly rang through her ears, clear as day and as beautiful as ever, and she halted in her movements for a split second, hands hesitating as she went to grab the bubble, before she continued on as if it hadn't tripped a chord in her head, set off alarms and bells, and looked inside the blue bubble. Inside was shards of a cracked gem that Sapphire had bubbled long ago, and she knew that she was wasting time, playing with the bubbles, but as she saw the blue gem's reflection, her lover sitting behind her on the ground, legs crossed and hands folded delicately in her lap as she waited for a reply, she couldn't care too much.

 

"I'm aware," she said as coolly as she could, inspecting the bubble as if it was some important mission she had given herself. They had defused, hours ago it seemed, when Ruby's fears had became too much after the mission, and had yet to refuse, because she was scared, and needed time to cool down, to think about their lost, and to see the gem they had sent here, check on them, and tell them they were sorry. Finding that one bubble in a sea of them seemed impossible though, almost as impossible as avoiding this talk anymore, even after all these years, and she let go of the bubble. "When did you get here?"

 

"Ten minutes ago, I think. Maybe more, I'm not too good with time in here. I've been watching you with the bubbles for a little bit now, if that tells you anything." She nodded, not facing her as she grabbed another bubble. This one was definitely Garnet's colour, but the contents were only that of a corrupted Topaz, and it was let go like the last one had been. She grabbed the next bubble, seeing Sapphire still waiting patiently in the reflection, and she knew she had to speak.

 

"It's not us she likes though," she told the other when the words came to her mind, glaring at the bubble before letting it go. She had yet to find a single one of the forced fusions, and it was starting to annoy her. There were so many bubbles to go through, so many lost to float through and ignore because they were corrupted or broken, and she wanted to apologise to them all, but that could be done later, after she had seen the gem again, gotten a good look at who had been inside it.

 

"That's true, but it's still us." She stopped, furrowing her brows as she let go of the bubble. It floated away and she turned, finally facing her lover. She was calm, her hair covering her face as usual, and waiting, ever so calmly, for Ruby to say something. She didn't like the direction this conversation was taking, and was sure that it showed as clearly on her face as in her own thoughts. If it didn't, Sapphire knew, because they knew each other that well, and she could barely see the smallest hints of a smile playing on her lips, despite the other trying to look neutral.

 

"What are you getting at here?" A gloved hand moved from her lap, patting the spot on the ground next to her, and she sighed. This was going to be a long conversation, she could tell, and it wasn't going to go anywhere she wanted. She didn't want to think about Pearl and how tight she would hold their arm, how she would cling to them like they were her last vestiges of what held her to this planet, how she would interrupt them, or how bright her smile could be, how her eyes could shine and sparkle- eyes almost seeming to dance when she got to talk about what she loved, like sword fighting- how she clung to them, instead of Amethyst or Steven, because they ground her to Earth, instead of the stars where she'd rather be.

 

"Sit with me, and we can talk." So she did. She sat next to her lover, unceremoniously throwing her physical form on the ground next to her in a heap, though somehow managing to land in a similar enough position to Sapphire, though her elbow was on one knee, her head in her hands as she stared at the gem she so loved. Gloved fingers were quick to pick up her free hand where the fingers had half-heartedly draped over her other knee, a blue gem with a triangle facet pressing into her own square-facetted red stone.

 

"I'm sitting," she sighed after a moment, hoping to get the conversation on with. They needed to talk about so much with Pearl, and yet so little. She didn't want to get started on this topic, rather drop it and go back to checking for the gems that had been forced together, but knew it was important to Sapphire to talk about it now, or else she wouldn't have brought it up when she had. She hadn't even known she had been there, but she was, watching her, and some part of her found that endearing and lovely, just like the rest of her dear.

 

"I know. I'm just... Trying to get a good gauge on how to continue." Sapphire waved one hand about, as if that would magically conjure the words she wanted to say to the other, and Ruby sighed. She didn't want to talk about Pearl right now; she wanted to hold the bubble in her hands and apologise to it as herself, to lean her head in Sapphire's lap and forget about what they were going to do about Pearl, to fuse again and let their emotions mingle and mix until Garnet herself could decide what she thought, before they did themselves. It would have been better, if she had had a choice on the matter, but she didn't, and knew so.

 

"We could just not," she tried. The look she received wilted that train of thought and she sighed, running a hand through her hair. Did they really have to talk about it? Pearl liked Garnet, and that meant she liked them, but at the same time, not, because Garnet wasn't them, she was their love for each other, but they were still parts of her, and she couldn't exist without them. It was difficult to think so, but true, and part of being a permanent fusion meant deciding what you were both okay with your fusion doing. Dating another gem- or at least, trying it out, because there was no guarantee that it would work well- seemed to be something they couldn't just let Garnet decide for herself, because it was their relationship- their love for each other- and they had to talk about letting someone else in on that. "Maybe I can start. I don't want to share you."

 

"Ruby, that's not what I meant." Her lover's other hand moved, running gently along the side of her face, so perfect and amazing, and she leaned into the simple touch, feeling her fears, anxieties, and worries melt away like ice on a hot summer day, simply at her lover's ghost touches on her cheek. She found herself sighing softly, leaning into her touch, and the fingers moved, traced up to her hair and combed through it slowly. "We wouldn't be forming Sardonyx all the time. I want us to give it a shot, even if it's just one of those human dates. Just to see that if Garnet wants to give it a try. She's not exactly us, and we're not exactly her, but we are. You know that. I'm not asking you to share me, because I don't want to share you. I want to hold you myself, to kiss you myself, and not let anyone else have you, but I want to give Pearl a shot too. Not as me and you, but as Garnet."

 

Pearl's face flooded her mind as her lover talked, her smile, bright eyes, and the fire in her personality that made her strong, even if she wasn't built for fighting. She was resilient, that was true for the slender gem that they fought with and cared for, and kind of cute. She wasn't sure who had originally had those thoughts, but they had bubbled in Garnet, shared between them with a set of flushed cheeks as they scurried to continue with what they had been doing and ignore it, but now she was sure Sapphire had the same thoughts about the dancer in their party, and wasn't sure where they should go with it from there. A simple human date was all Sapphire was asking from her, and she sighed, looking away, because she could at least concede to that. "Alright. One date, and then we unfuse and talk about it more. I don't want to share you, but I think that maybe, Pearl could have Garnet, as long as I have you."

 

"Of course," her lover hummed, and she glanced to her again, noticing the small trace of a smile dancing across those smug and plump lips. Unable to help herself, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, earnestly enjoying the shocked gasp she got as a response to it.  Apparently, Sapphire hadn't been expecting that, but the arms that wrapped around her told her that it wasn't unwarranted. For what felt like the perfect little moment of captured eternity, they stayed like that, her hands on her dear's legs from where she had leaned in, Sapphire's arms around her neck, and their lips pressed together, before they finally broke apart, small smiles present on small faces. "Can we fuse now? I miss being with you, can't stand to be apart from you."

 

She swallowed and nodded, untangling herself from her lover as they stood. No words were needed then, because she gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before she swooped her up, swirling around and around as she enjoyed her lover's smile, giving her own in return. They spun, turned, and landed as one, happy to be herself again.


End file.
